How to Win at Trading Magic The Gathering Cards

Magic the Gathering is not only game to play but it is also a collectible card game as well. However, collecting cards usually involves a lot of trading for cards you want, and it is very easy to lose a lot of value by making bad trades. Below are a few different ways to make sure you get the best value and Win at Trading.

Technology is your friend

Many of us simply do not have the time to memorize how much each card is worth, and with how readily available technology is there is no reason to not use it. Personally, winning at trading is trading cards I do not need for cards I do need at around the same value. One of the best uses of technology is you can use prices of cards in order to keep the trade fair in value, and make sure you are not getting ripped off. I recommend http://www.mtgprice.com because it offers averages of many sites, but any site you trust will work. The biggest mistake I find new players making when it comes to trading is under or overestimating cards value and missing out.

Have a “Want List”

This is really as simple as it sounds, and is great when at an event with several people trading. Having a list of cards you want or need for a deck you are building helps other traders quickly see if they can trade any of those. I still recommend looking through their trade pile (usually a binder) and seeing if there are any cards you want, and letting them look through your own. Just make sure to keep track of your want list and be sure you are not trading all of your own best cards for mediocre cards that do not help you.

Keep Your Binder Organized

This may be the step that takes the most work in order to trade the well, but is definitely the most rewarding. Of course depending on the size of your collection how your trades are organized will range from person to person. Many players will find that a binder organized by color and format will work well as this is easy to set up, but some prefer a box to hold all their trade cards in. The best way to organize cards is by setting them up how you would like to dig through someone else’s binder or stack of tradeable cards.

Some Parting tips

Don’t be afraid to ask someone if they want to look through your binder, most players are friendly and will be more than happy to unload some cards. Only keep tradeable cards in your binder; nobody wants that Scornful Egotist or other junk cards. And most importantly be friendly, have fun, and try not to get ripped off and lose a lot of valuable cards. If you keep these tips in mind then you will always win when trading.